TV Night

Last night was our favorite night for TV. The kids were sound alseep by 7:20 to ensure no interruptions, the phones on silent, and snacks on the coffee table. Our night started with The Office....Steve's favorite. I thought it was so stupid the first few times I watched it, but made it through the first season anyway. Now I laugh right along with my husband, funny stuff! Then we watched Grey's....my favorite. I am a loyal follower and never miss, but I was not so pleased with last night's episode. I was hoping for an ending that made me long for more, but not this time. It will take a few weeks to get used to all the new faces and I miss Burk and Addison (I will be watching the spin-off called "Private Practice".) I will still watch Grey's every Thursday. I have not given up on them just yet....it's still a favorite.

Cuteness

The Pretend Man

Braxton, "Mommy, is that a pretend man over there?"
Me, "Where?"
Braxton, "On that chair." (I look over at a bench and see a very large man....400-450 lbs maybe?)
Me, "No sweetie, he's not pretend."

I grabbed Braxton's hand to help him walk quickly out the door. Once outside the store the conversation continued.....

Braxton, "Are you sure he's not pretend? I thought he was pretend."
Me, "He's not pretend Braxton, he's a real man."
Braxton, "Ohhhhh, I thought he was one of those blow-up mans sitting on a chair."

Wash Hands Please

I mentioned in a previous post that I am a bit of a germ freak. I will not talk a lot about my germaphobia today, but I do want to mention the importance of handwashing! Here's the story of the day: The boys and I went to Central Market this afternoon to pick up something for dinner. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Central Market. It is such a fun place to buy groceries. They have these wonderful "dinner for two" sacks for adults and nifty meals just for kids....easy and affordable! They also have EVERYTHING under the sun for you to taste as you are shopping. (We could have just filled up on food while we were there!) Anyway....my big boy had to poo while we were shopping so we spent a good 25 minutes in the restroom watching ladies come and go. As we were washing our hands and getting ready to exit the restroom the lady in the stall next to us came out...she fixed her hair in the mirror, rummaged around in her purse a bit, and then JUST LEFT!! Ewwww, without washing her hands. Do you ever have the urge to say, "Excuse me, did you forget to wash your hands?" to a perfect stranger? We saw her a few times as we were shopping taking samples of food from the nice little buckets. She did use the prongs to get the tasty treats out, BUT she still touched the prongs.....the same ones that I was getting ready to grab and then hand pieces of bread to my boys. Come on people....add about 45 seconds to your restroom ritual and wash those hands! Maybe our kids would have a few less snotty noses if we all took a little time to scrub up!

"When I'm 69"

Braxton IS completely potty trained, but we are still working on being independent when it comes to "taking care of cleanliness" after going #2.

Daddy: "Son, it's about time you start wiping yourself."
Braxton: "I'll wipe myself when I'm 69 Dad."

Here's hoping it happens before then.....

Yay for Standing!

Nash is learning to do so many new things, one of which is standing! It is hard to believe he's almost 11 months old. Time flies!! He doesn't pull up on a consistent basis, but he can do it none the less. We are so proud of him! He is pretty proud of himself too.


Yay for Nash!!

Saving it for space...

Braxton is ALL about space these days....actually he has been for over a year now. It all started when he said "Mommy, I want to go to space." I told him it cost a lot of money and we better start saving up. He invited Pops (Steve's dad) to go along...not only to see the moon, but to foot the bill! Pops bought him a special piggy bank just for his space money. Ever since that initial conversation we have been putting coins in his piggy bank for space. Each time he finds a coin he gets all excited and says "Gonna put this in my bank for space" and runs to his room to put it away.

We thought that his interest in space would've faded by now, but a year later it is still going strong. Steve went to NY this summer and brought back some of that yummy space ice cream for Braxton to eat. It has been sitting in our pantry for almost 2 months because Braxton would not eat it. "Gonna save it for space." Talk about self-control!!! He seriously would not open it because it was going on the shuttle with him!! :) I found it on the shelf a few days ago and asked him if he wanted to taste it....nope! I told him we would buy him some more to take to space if we really wanted to see what it tasted like. After a little convincing he gave in, "Okay, mom!!!"

Haircut

Got a haircut today. Yay....my head feels healthy! I have side-swept bangs. Any tips on keeping them "swept"? :) They've been in my eyes all evening. I like the look of them, I just need to train them to stay in their place.

The trip to the beauty shop was an adventure. For some reason I thought I could take my kids with me to get a haircut. Not gonna happen again! Braxton kept picking up wads of hair off the floor, "Mom, is this your hair? How about this...is this yours?" Nash's paci kept falling on the floor and sweet big brother kept putting it back in his mouth for him. (Imagine a wet paci and a floor laced with hair.....GAG!)

Needless to say I left with a wet head. I always love it when my lady fixes my hair for me, not today though. I couldn't get out of there quick enough! I'm sure we were the topic of conversation after we left, "that poor mom...what was she thinking bringing those kids here?" Exactly. What was I thinking?

So my friends will know....

The boys and I went out and about today in search of dinosaur ideas for Braxton's party. We did not have much luck at any of the stores so I came home and ordered just about everything online. Gotta love technology! What did we ever do without it? We are still working on the invitation idea....I explained to Braxton that we are not going to be able to put buttons that make "roar" sounds on the invitations. He doesn't believe me and is still trying to figure out a way to get this done!

At one of the stores we were in we saw some small foam crosses. Braxton was so excited and picked one up. He said, "Mommy, let's give these out at my party so my friends will know that Jesus died on the cross." He was truly EXCITED!!! It made me think when was the last time I was truly excited to show my friends the cross? Wow! I pray that his excitement for Jesus only grows stronger and that he will always want his friends to know. Crosses in the goody bags? Hey, why not?

Party Mode

Well, it's the time of year where I get in my typical party planning mode. I LOVE details when it comes to parties. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them!!! Braxton will be 4 in October and Nash will be 1 in November. Usually I would have everything bought and invitations made by now for Braxton's party. I am a little behind according to "my schedule" and starting to feel the party pressure. Braxton wants a dinosaur party this year. There are so many great ideas I have found online. He also wants a bounce party....so most likely we will have a dinosaur bounce party (again). I like having parties away from our house...I don't have to spend a lot of time getting the house ready for company and it's easy to clean up! Unlike previous birthdays, Braxton is giving a LOT of input this year. Below are a few comments he has made as he is contributing to the planning.

"Mom, will you make a dinosaur cake....with spikes? No, you don't know how to make spikes. How 'bout cupcakes with dinosaurs?" (I have spent way too much money in the past on cakes. I think I will make those cupcakes this year!)

"Okay, here are my invitations....I want a dinosaur card with a button that you push and it goes 'roar'!" (Hands in claw motion and face all frowny as he's saying 'roar'...He's a 'big idea's guy' just like his daddy.)

"We will need a lot of invitations because there are going to be so many people at my party!"

"I changed my mind....I do want a dinosaur cake. One that is shaped like a dinosaur." (Okay, maybe I will be buying that cake after all!)

Just read about it?

Me: Do you want to hear about my day?
Steve: Are you going to blog about it?
Me: Yes.
Steve: Which is the shorter version?
(Glare)
Steve: I'll just read about it.....

Hmmmmmm, it looks like I need to take a break from blogging, e-mail, facebook, webkinz, surfing the net, and all other things that relate to technology. Maybe I'll spend a little more time TALKING to my husband instead of having him read about my day. If you don't see any posts for a few days just know that I must be engaged in a meaningful conversation with the man that I love! :)

Goodnight Braxton

Me: "Braxton, you have a choice....you can clean your playroom and stay up and wait for Daddy OR you can not clean your playroom and go to bed."

Braxton goes to his room and comes back 5 minutes later with jammies on and teeth brushed.

Braxton: "Goodnight Mommy." (Turns around and walks back into room.)

It is 6:15.

Stubborn? Yes.

I had not intended for him to be alseep this early, but he is. It will be an early morning for us all!

My Shopping Cart

The boys and I went to our local Wal-Mart Supercenter to pick up a few things today. My "few things" turned into one hefty load. Does anyone strictly stick to "the list"? :) Nash was in the front part of the buggy. (And yes, I still use the shopping cart cover with baby #2. Those things are so dirty and if I didn't mention it before I am a bit of a germ freak...but that's a whole other entry.) Braxton was nestled into the back part of the buggy for as long I could keep him. My cart started getting full and I had to let my son out of his confined space to make room for all the stuff. Vroooom!!!! There he goes. "Mom, I'm a superhero!" My boy was flying ahead of me at rapid speed with arms stretched out in front as I'm yelling, "Watch out! Slow down! Come back here!" He flew through the store for the remainder of our visit tossing things into the cart that he thought we might need. (We kept the superhero cookies that he found!) I got a few looks from passer-byers and even someone said, "Wow, you've got your hands full!"

On a 'separate' note.....pun intended, read on...I realized something about myself and my shopping cart today. I do not just toss items into my cart, they are placed according to their category. I like to keep things separated. In one corner of my cart I have all the baby items, in the other the cold stuff, and in the back all the dry goods. The fruits and veges stay together in the cart as well as the cheeses and meats. Items that belong in the bathroom sit cozily next to each other. And cleaning supplies must always stay away from the rest. When it's time to unload my cart onto the conveyor belt I continue to keep things separated. I do this so my checker-outer lady can bag them quickly while keeping them together. When I get them home my items should all be in the right bag and easy to put away. Well, not this time. I was frustrated with my checker-outer lady today. My baby food was mixed in with my bread, the turkey bacon was mixed with cans of soup, and she put my cheese right on top of my nice, hot, ready to eat rotisserie chicken. What????? Did I want my cheese to be melted when I got home? I don't think so.

So all you checkers out there, please be sure to keep things separated for those of us shoppers that are a little obessive compulsive. :)

Confession

Hi.
My name is Kathryn.
And I'm a Webkinz Addict....

My mother-in-law gave Braxton a "pet" not long ago. Well, a virtual pet. Some of you know what I'm talking about....it's called a Webkinz. Our pet is a fuzzy white platypus named Googles. Braxton loves him and sleeps with him at night. Our fuzzy friend came with a little tag and secret code. We must log onto the website to feed him, bathe him, play with him, take him to the doctor, etc. We have to "work" and play games online in order to earn cash to buy him food, decorations for his room, toys, furniture, you name it! Googles has an awesome room all decked out in baseball gear. Braxton is still a little young to play most of the games, but we get online together to check on Googles each day. My confession is that at night when Braxton is asleep, I get on the website and play games to earn money to buy stuff for our pet. Lame I know, but I don't want Googles to die so we must take good care of him.:) I'm sure the newness will wear off in a week or so and I won't sit at the computer goofing around. If not, is there a 10 step program? Whoever invented Webkinz is a genius! Why didn't I think of that??

Before and After

Where are my children?

Awwww, there they are.

My Sweet Sensitive Boy

Okay, I would not normally take pictures of my child in tears, but the camera was on the coffee table, sooooo I took a few quick pics in between consoling my sweet boy.

Tonight we watched the movie "Air Bud". I had never seen it, Nash was in bed, and Braxton was running a muck. I needed a little down time b/c Daddy was at a youth event and Mommy was just plain tired. So I flipped through the channels and noticed it was on. Oh, a movie about a dog that plays basketball!! Braxton would LOVE it!!! I plopped down on the computer as Braxton settled in on the couch. He was so into the movie!!! All was quite when all of a sudden I hear WAILING!!!! Not just little whimpers, but loud, obnoxious cries. My sweet sensitive boy was down right sad b/c he thought Buddy was going to have to go home and live with the very mean clown. I held him and rocked him and we watched the end together.

Braxton is in bed now. I have already gone in there twice b/c he has been crying. "Mommy, I didn't want him to go with the clown. Clowns are supposed to be silly, not mean." Oh, my sweet sensitive boy. I love him so much.

Not a lot going on....

Nothing much going on today! I think I've got the slide show situation taken care of. Some of you are saying that it's not coming up on your computer...your computer or internet may just be a little slow. Sorry about that! We are having a lazy day at our house. I love lazy days! There are definitely things to do around here, but there just not getting done today! Steve got up with the boys this morning letting me sleep unti 9:30!! Yay! Isn't he great? :) He has been camped out on the couch ever since though....watching the OU game and now the A&M game . He is a loyal football fan (mainly for OU, but will watch any game that's on). Braxton and I went to Target alone....we called it our 'Target Date'. He was excited to go on a date with Mommy. I just needed a few little things and was looking for a new shirt. Braxton kept saying, "When are we going to play dress up in the little room?" He was very pleasant at the store and we had so much fun together! It is always so great to spend time one on one with one of my boys. Here's a pic of my sweet Braxton I took yesterday. What an angel, huh?

Nash Rambler? No, Nash Aylor!

When we decided to name our second son Nash I had no idea that there used to be a car called the "Nash Rambler". This I should have known because my dad has a love for old cars and restores them as a hobby. On one of my dad's ventures to an old car show and auction he happened upon a very cool shiny hubcap from an old "Nash Rambler". Now it's a neat decoration hanging in our baby's room

Under Construction

Okay, I'm having a little trouble with my slide show and my other photos that I posted yesterday. I took them off for the time being until I have time to figure it out. I think the slide show was making my other photos mess up....sooooo, we may not have a slide show in the future. We'll see....

A Follower

I am not always a follower....I think I do a pretty good job at making my own decisions and doing what I want, when I want, etc. BUT I have followed the crowd and made a slideshow. Yay me! I figured it out all by myself. Several of my friends have added slideshows to their blogs and I just couldn't be left in the dust. I included some old and some new pictures...I'll change them out every once in a while. Enjoy!

First Day of School

Braxton is loving his new class, his teacher, and his friends. He had a great 1st day and day #2 was super as well. He came home singing a song titled "Buenas Noches" today. He'll be bilingual by the end of the year!

It's a miracle!

I promise I am not a spider dork.....

In front of our house we found Charlotte, or what we want to believe is Charlotte. (Go back and read my post in August about our little friend if you don't know what I'm talking about.) I think it's just a look alike, but you never know...maybe she escaped those snappy birds and made a new home in the front yard. Braxton was excited to see her, but told me later, "Mom, I don't think that's Charlotte." I took these pics today. I thought they were neat. She's eating a dragonfly....again, I am not a spider dork. Somebody out there would totally appreciate these pictures.

I just realized how HUGE these pictures are....think of them as "actual size" pictures. That's about how big she is!

Fuzzy Chicken and Safety Violations

Thought I'd share a few things my Braxton uttered today:

"Mom, is this fuzzy chicken I'm eating?"
"No Braxton, it is shreaded."

"Safety Violation!!! Mom, can we get one of those so when you're doing something wrong I can put it up?" (As he's looking at an orange cone in a magazine)

"Mom, you were so brave at the doctor."

"Nash, don't come in here. Do you understand? Do you??" (Closing his bedroom door behind him)

(On the way home from school) "Mom, I'm going to count to 21 and we better be home."

A Weighty Issue

Okay, I know that I have some added weight that I would LOVE to lose tomorrow. No one needs to tell me that. I already know it. I know I need to lay off the sweets, portion control, exercise, yada, yada, yada..... Today I was pleasantly reminded of how much I weigh and how much I NEED to weigh. By whom, you ask? Well, I had a dr. appointment this morning to get a TB test (required for my new job). The doctor is a family practitioner close by our house. It was my first time (and last) to go to him. I took both boys with me and they were PERFECT!! Nash just sat on my lap so still and Braxton stayed out of the cabinets. They were super well-behaved! Yay! But we're not talking about my kids right now, we're talking about my weight. The doctor asked if I had any other concerns while I was in there....."No, I'm great! Unless you want to prescribe me a pill to help me lose weight." (Insert my laughter here) I now realize I should have left it at "No, I'm great!" I opened the door for him to share his thoughts. Here's the conversation I had with the doctor.

Doc says (as he's looking at the photocopy of my license), "How long ago was this picture taken?"
Me, "About 4 years ago."
Doc, "And how much did you weigh here?"
Me, *insert amount here
Doc, "How much do you weigh now?"
Me, *insert amount here
Doc, "Oooooo, that's a significant amount. You need to do something to get that back down."
Me, "Well, I gained 45 lbs with my first baby, had 10 lbs. left to lose before getting pregnant again but didn't reach that goal, and THEN gained another 40 with my second baby."
Doc, "Oh, that's a lot. You really should have gained only 25 lbs."

He kept talking, but I zoned out....I started thinking, "Are we really having this conversation? He's totally calling me fat in a round about sort of way. I'm done. Start gathering up the kids and let's go home."

Yes, I know I need to lose weight. No one has to tell me that, but the ever so blunt doctor decided I needed to hear it today. Hmmm, maybe this will motivate me to take some action...maybe.

What am I doing??????

What in the world am I doing teaching preschoolers??? Did I think I would enjoy potty training 10 children that do not belong to me when I had the hardest time training my own??? Ugh. Today was an adventure to say the least! Every first day of school is a little nuts from the teacher's point of view anyway....the paperwork, pulling angels away from their mommas, telling mommas 'he will be okay, go ahead and go", trying to maintain order, and trying to make sure each child feels welcome. NOW, times that by 10 and you have my day! Much of my day was spent trying to maintain order in a classroom that was cleary chaotic. I do not handle chaos well, so today was humbling. I called my mom and told her about my day. She said, "Well, if anyone can get 'em into shape, it's you!!!" Only time will tell if I am able to live up to that comment. During rest time one sweet little girl said to me in a soft whisper, "Please don't tell me what to do." At least she said please, right? :) I had one young lad throw his new friend into a table.....yes, a table. I got to fill out my first accident report today. All in all, I guess it was a typical first day of school. Things didn't go exactly like I had planned, but the kiddos left with smiles on their faces and a "Bye Ms. Kafern!"

My boys had a good day in their own classrooms today. Braxton said "I didn't want to leave!" I haven't gotten much out of him as far as what activities he did in class though. He is way too young to start withholding information from me!!! Hopefully this evening he will want to talk about his day. Nash did okay.....I listened to him cry down the hallway for a little bit this morning. He was not a happy camper. The teachers are trying to get the little ones all on the same schedule....well, he would have rather taken a nap than go on that buggy ride this morning! He likes his own schedule thank you very much. He ended up taking a good 2 hour nap when they got back and woke up all smiley, so that's a good thing!

Day one of working mommy with 2 kids is complete.....how many to go? :)

Comments

I have changed the settings so now anyone can post a comment. You do not have to have a google account in order to post!

One Post a Day

Steve: "You're only supposed to post once a day!!"
Me: "Oh, did you read the blog manual with the list of rules and I didn't?" (Smirk)

Guess I had a lot to say the past few days! Maybe I'll take a break....

Target Trip

We took a trip to Super Target this evening. I LOVE Super Target!! I was hoping for a little extra time to look around because Steve was with me and I thought (key word here is "thought") I'd get to browse. As we pull into the parking lot Steve says "Can I go over to Office Depot while ya'll look around?" Ummmm, if I wanted to go to Target by myself with two kids I would have come earlier in the day - by myself. After a little persuasion he decides to go to Target with us!! :)

As soon as we got into the store Braxton made a bee-line to the electric wheelchairs...a scooter like Granny has!! Yay! He quickly put it in reverse and backed into the wall. "Braxton, get off that!" He made it go forward, then reversed it again to hit the wall a second time. Trying not to laugh I run over to get him off.....I tell him to go to Daddy and get in the cart. Nope, he runs back to the scooter laughing and tries to get on it again. I carry my 37 lb. kid over to the cart and throw him in the back. (Sigh) Steve and I lock eyes and are trying not to laugh at our son causing a ruckus in the store.

Steve heads to the CD's as I am pushing the cart with two kids in tow. Remember the key word from earlier - "thought"....looks like I won't be browsing tonight. The boys and I head over to the lunch boxes. After talking Braxton out of getting a Tinkerbell, Dora, and Cinderella lunch box, he decides on a very cool circle shaped baseball one. We also get a matching ice pack for the freezer. We continue our stroll as a very large bald African American man walks next to us. Here's what happens next:

Braxton to the man, "Hi Baldy!"
Me, "Braxton!!!! We don't call people baldy. That's not nice."
Braxton smiling, "Okay Mommy."
A few seconds later an Asian man, with a significant amount of hair going in all directions, walks next to us.
Braxton to the man, "Hey Hairy!"

Oh my goodness!! That child of mine! I pretended like neither man heard my son!! We quickly made our way to another part of the store. My Target trip ended up being a fast one...no leisurely browsing. Nash started crying, Braxton kept standing up in the cart, and Steve was no where to be found. I ended up having to carry Nash and push the cart all the while listening to Braxton say one hundred times "Can I have some popcorn? How 'bout a drink? Huh, Mom?" We found Daddy and decided to check out. Maybe one day this week I venture to Target alone!

10 Months Old Today

Our sweet baby Nash is 10 months old today! He is such a snuggle bug and little explorer. He is crawling around everywhere, putting everything in his mouth, and trying to pull up to a standing position. He LOVES to "eat" whatever he can get with those little pinchers. I have fished out skittles that big brother gave him, doorstoppers, potting soil, and pen caps to name a few. He loves to laugh and to be held...don't you dare put him down unless you want to hear him wail! Nash's favorite things to eat are mashed potatoes and puffs. We have loved every minute of the past 10 months watching him grow! We love you Nash Leon Aylor!

A picture is worth 1000 words....

Riding Granny's scooter (with the dog), hanging out with cousins, gourd painting, and crawling around in the grass (for the first time)....we had a great time at Granny and Grandpa's 60th wedding anniversary party!

"Come Home"

Braxton had fun playing with his cousins Addy and Andrew while we were at the grandparents house. They played a lot of "pretend" while we were there. Braxton was overheard saying to "someone" on the phone, "I need you to come home! I've got to leave in 5 minutes." Hmmmm, wonder where he picked up on that one?

Steve and I

I have been thinking a lot today about my relationship with my husband. So here are my thoughts.....

Steve is my best friend, my love, the father of my children, the one who makes me laugh, and who keeps me grounded. He loves me and our boys....I am thankful that has never been a question in our family. After God, he puts us first. He does little acts of kindness that I sometimes take for granted. He cleans the kitchen without being asked and he ALWAYS wipes down the highchair (something I always neglect to do when in a hurry). He would rather spend the morning snuggling with the boys and I in our little queen bed than get up and mow the lawn, so that's just what he does. There will be many days in the future when the boys don't join us in bed at 7:00 in the morning....he will mow on those days. He works hard (too hard). He puts in a full day at the office and stays up way too late working on various projects and events, AND still makes time for the boys and me. I am proud to be his wife.

In some ways we are the same, but in many ways we are different. We are both stubborn. We both love to laugh. We both have opinions and yes, we share them often! We make decisions TOGETHER and we are a team. Steve is a dreamer. I am a realist. Steve is spontaneous. I am a planner. Steve doesn't care what restaurant we eat at....ever! I like to choose. He doesn't worry about the little things. I sweat the teeny-tiny stuff! We are not perfect. We drive each other crazy at times. We are opposites, and that's how it's supposed to be in our relationship. God put us together to balance each other out. We sometimes try to change the other and roll our eyes at some of the quirks we have, but in the end we both know this is how we are. We bring many different things to our relationship and that's what makes us so great!!

Quick Trip

We made it back safe and sound from Oklahoma. It was a very quick trip there and back! We got to see some great friends while we were there for the anniversary party. On Friday night we spent the night with our friends Aaron and Lorren. Steve worked with Aaron at FOTW and now he and his family are living in the city and working at Lifechurch. They have 2 beautiful girls that have gotten sooooo big since we have seen them last! We had a lot of fun drinking coffee and catching up until 1:00 in the morning. Some other friends were in town visiting Aaron and Lorren as well.....Hans and Star. They have SIX children, not a typo, yes six.....and they are so well behaved. I was impressed. They range from age 13 to 6 weeks old. With all the kids we had a total of 10 children in the house!!! A small zoo to say the least, and yes we all slept over. We had a blast!

The party was today at noon and it was great. I will post pictures soon. All the grandkids and great-grandkids made it into town and that was very special for Granny and Grandpa Hardgraves to have everyone there. Of course there were funny things that happened....there is ALWAYS something funny to share after the family is together under one roof for any amount of time! I'll have to think long and hard before posting...:) Steve and I joke about writing a best seller one day with the stories we compile about our family...both sides, mine and his. On a serious note, we did have a great time seeing the family and it always goes by too fast. It was so wonderful to see two people happily married for 60 years, joking, laughing, and kissing each other on the cheek.